Department for Transport

Midland Main Railway Line: Electrification

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been spent on remodelling bridges in Leicestershire to accommodate the overhead cabling required for electrification along theparts of the Midland Main Line which are not now to be electrified.

baroness vere of norbiton: Approximately £12m has been spent on remodelling bridges in Leicestershire as part of the Midland Main Line upgrade. These works have delivered benefits including extension of the life of the bridges, improved safety both at trackside and on highways above the bridges, improved access for maintenance and examination, and enhanced gauge clearance allowing larger freight trains to use the line.

Railway Stations: Access

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government why Access for All funding is not being made available for Pokesdown railway station; and what criteria were used to select those stations included in the list published on 4 April.

baroness vere of norbiton: Pokesdown was not nominated for this funding as South Western Railway already have a commitment in their Franchise Agreement to install lifts to the footbridge linking the platforms. This is currently due to be complete in early 2020. Stations were selected based on their annual footfall, weighted by the incidence of disability in the area.　 We also took into account local factors such as proximity to a hospital or the availability of third party funding for the project.　 We also chose some stations to ensure a fair geographical spread of projects across the country.

South Eastern Rail Franchise

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthe specification they have issued for theSouth Eastern franchise ensures at least as many high speed trains from Maidstone West to London St Pancras as are provided during the current franchise; and what provisions will be included to ensure that the new operator provides a more reliable and punctual service.

baroness vere of norbiton: The franchise specification requires a minimum of two morning and evening peak high speed services, while today there are three. However, this is the minimum requirement of the Invitation to Tender, which bidders are incentivised to exceed.  Regarding a punctual and reliable service, the successful bidder will need to meet stringent contractual targets for operational performance in the life of the franchise. Where targets are not met, the franchisee will face financial penalties.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of income that has been raised by HM Treasury from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in each year since it was introduced in 1 January 2005 to the present.

lord henley: This information will be published shortly.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Russia: INF Treaty

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 February (HL13545), what discussions they have had with the government of Russia about their compliance with the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty; what was the outcome of those discussions; when they took place; whether further such discussions are planned; and if so, when.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Allies first expressed concerns about Russian non-compliance with its Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty obligations in 2014. In the last two years, there has been an intensification of Allied activity to encourage Russia to return to compliance.Since the US, and subsequently Russia, suspended their participation in the Treaty, we have not discussed INF directly with Russia. During the NATO-Russia Council in January 2019 we and our Allies made clear that NATO is united on the need for Russia to return to full and verifiable compliance to preserve the INF Treaty.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Drugs

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report from the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee about the impact of Brexit on a shortage of medicine supplies at UK pharmacies.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: There is no evidence to suggest the small number of current supply issues we are managing are related to European Union exit, or increasing because of it. We have well established processes to manage and mitigate supply issues from whatever cause, including manufacturing or distribution problems.Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s priority. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, there will be an implementation period running until the end of 2020, during which there will be no changes to the current trading arrangements with the EU. Therefore, if the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified, the supply of medicines will continue on the same basis it does now during this period.Leaving without a deal remains the legal default at the end of the extension period if no withdrawal agreement is agreed. We are considering the impact of the EU exit date being extended until 31 October 2019 on our EU exit preparations and are working closely with our stakeholders to review our position.We are confident that if everyone does what they need to do, the supply of medicines should be uninterrupted in the event that the United Kingdom exits the EU without a deal.

Nurses: Re-employment

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many nurses have returned to the NHS in the last 12 months.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The data is not held in the format requested.